Apollonia Poilâne’s Rye Sablé Cookie Recipe

• 2 eggs
• 175 grams (1 cup) sugar
• 250 grams (1 cup) butter, room temperature (not warm)
• 500 grams (5 cups) rye flour, plus more for dusting
• Pinch of salt (optional)

1. 1

   In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Using a handheld mixer on the lowest speed, beat eggs and sugar until frothy, about 1–2 minutes.

2. 2

   Add the butter and beat with the handheld mixer on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute.

3. 3

   In a medium bowl, combine rye flour and salt, and whisk to evenly distribute salt.

4. 4

   Add half of the flour and salt mixture to the egg mixture, and bring together with a rubber spatula. Then add the rest of the flour and salt mixture, and bring together with the rubber spatula.

5. 5

   Using the handheld mixer on low speed, mix until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough has the consistency of wet sand, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula about halfway through mixing. Overmixing will result in tough cookies, so be sure to only mix the dough until the flour has disappeared.

6. 6

   Use a spatula or a bench scraper to scrape half of the dough onto a clean work surface. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a disk about 1½ inches thick, then use your palms to shape the edges of the disk into a square. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, using a bench scraper to transfer the dough if it’s sticky.

7. 7

   Repeat with the other dough half and refrigerate both dough blocks for 30 minutes. Note that you can store plastic-wrapped sablé dough in the freezer for up to 3 months.

8. 8

   Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. If your kitchen is very warm, refrigerate the rolled-out dough for 10–15 minutes before cutting the cookies.

9. 9

   Lightly flour a cookie cutter and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

10. 10

    Cut out cookies as close to one another as possible to avoid rerolling the dough multiple times, which overworks the butter. Use a bench scraper to transfer the cutout cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

11. 11

    Cover with a second layer of parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You can freeze cut-out cookie dough for up to 3 weeks.

12. 12

    Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

13. 13

    Uncover the sablés and bake until deep golden brown, 12–15 minutes. If baking 2 sheets of cookies at once, rotate halfway through baking.

14. 14

    Let cool on the baking sheet until cool enough to touch. Store in an airtight container in a dry, cool place for up to 3 months.

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